PH Glass

[Berner]

What's a realalistic expectation for the clarity of the PH glass? I've read that hot fires and dry wood will keep your glass clean. For me it seems more a function of how much wood I put into the stove. This year I've started into my wood that has been CSS for 4 years. I load it full then shut it down for the night. Stove top can be cruising at 550 and the glass still gets black on the bottom 2/3. It burns off by morning but over a few weeks of this the glass ends up with a gray brown layer. I could bump the air a little bit but a 550 stove is more than hot enough for me. It mostly cleans up with 0000 steel wool, warm water and paper towels.

How often do you clean your glass?

Are there some PH stoves that will blacken up even with dry wood and hot fires?

Any other suggestions?

 

[weatherguy]

I burn mine at 600-650 but still get the brownish tint. I think every stove gets that. On warm days that I let my stove burn down I give a quick clean using the wet paper towel ash method.

 

[Berner]

I burn mine at 600-650 but still get the brownish tint. I think every stove gets that. On warm days that I let my stove burn down I give a quick clean using the wet paper towel ash method.

How often do those cleanings end up being?

 

[weatherguy]

How often do those cleanings end up being?

It depends, I've only cleaned it once this year but if it warms up this week I'll probably do it again. It doesn't bother me and I can see well enough but if the opportunity arises I'll do a good cleannup.

 

[rdust]

I have one of the "ugly" BK stoves. I care zero about aesthetics or black glass. I think I wiped some haze off my glass with my stove glove once or twice this year.

 

[Rearscreen]

Steel wool? Well that's a new one on me. I've owned my PH now for 2 and 1/2 seasons and have cleaned the glass maybe 2 - 3 times using the paper towel ash method. Since it's 2 pieces of glass it never blackens like my Jotuls, Hearthstones, VC's. But, you have a special case I guess. I'd question using steel wool, but what the heck do I know, I've never been an astronaut nor have I ever been elected president.

 

[toddnic]

I normally clean the glass on my PH about once each month. Currently I have been burning hard for the past two weeks and I'm getting some ash buildup in the bottom right corner. I find that the lower the moisture content in my wood the less I need to clean the glass. The higher the moisture content, the more I need to clean the glass. Also, I've never needed to use steel wool on the glass.....just a moist paper towel.

Also, you want to make sure that the air hole that is in bottom of the stove by the glass is clear. Sometimes that can get clogged and cause the air not to circulate around the glass.

 

[Berner]

The steel wool was suggested by the folks at Woodstock. I usually run a wet steel wool around the glass and follow it with a paper towel.

Maybe I have an unreal expectation of
How clear the glass should be.

 

[Berner]

Also, you want to make sure that the air hole that is in bottom of the stove by the glass is clear. Sometimes that can get clogged and cause the air not to circulate around the glass.

I see the air hole and it looks clear from the view of my loading side door. Do I need to get in there and inspect it? I would imagine it would fill with ash but then get blown out with the air flow?

 

[rdust]

Maybe I have an unreal expectation of
How clear the glass should be.

Post a picture, so other PH users can compare.

 

[BuckyBeaver524]

As the season progresses my stove develops a light haze on the glass. You can only notice it when the fire is out. With a flame show going on, you can not see it. I usually only clean the glass at the end of the burning season, the same time I do the chimney.

 

[Setter Fan]

Hi all,

I have been eyeing a Progress Hybrid for some time now and was hoping to get some real world feedback/numbers.

Those that own the PH, what type of stove top temperature are you running it at and how long will it stay there?

What would you consider high burn; (example) 600 degrees for say 4 hours vs low burn 350 for 8. I know much depends on wood, but based on your experience typical STT vs burn duration with seasoned (15% MC) hardwood.

Also, I understand the stove will cool towards the end of the burn. Trying to compare results to my under-powered Jotul Insert.

Thank you and sorry to hijack the thread.

 

[fire_man]

My Progress hits about 500F stovetop and stays there for a couple hours. The real heat is less about the stovetop temp and more about the firebox. I say that because in pure cat mode the stovetop can be at 500F with a very cool firebox since it's the cat making all the heat. Once the secondaries ignite, the stovetop temp may drop but the firebox heat takes over big time.

If you load the stove with oak it will crank some serious heat.

Back to the glass: mine is one of the early models that apparently had an issue with the glass permantently etching. No matter how much I try to clean it, the top 1/3 glass is rough like sandpaper due to the intense heat.

 

[weatherguy]

Hi all,

I have been eyeing a Progress Hybrid for some time now and was hoping to get some real world feedback/numbers.

Those that own the PH, what type of stove top temperature are you running it at and how long will it stay there?

What would you consider high burn; (example) 600 degrees for say 4 hours vs low burn 350 for 8. I know much depends on wood, but based on your experience typical STT vs burn duration with seasoned (15% MC) hardwood.

Also, I understand the stove will cool towards the end of the burn. Trying to compare results to my under-powered Jotul Insert.

Thank you and sorry to hijack the thread.

I run mine usually at 550, cold snaps 600-650. If you're asking for burn time my overnight is usually 10 hours because I load the box, I do two smaller loads during the day. In milder weather I just do two 12 hour burns.

 

[toddnic]

I see the air hole and it looks clear from the view of my loading side door. Do I need to get in there and inspect it? I would imagine it would fill with ash but then get blown out with the air flow?

I've cleaned mine out with a small paper clip after cleaning out the stove with a vacuum at the end of the season. It should not be hard to check to make sure that it is clear.

 

[BuckyBeaver524]

My Progress hits about 500F stovetop and stays there for a couple hours. The real heat is less about the stovetop temp and more about the firebox. I say that because in pure cat mode the stovetop can be at 500F with a very cool firebox since it's the cat making all the heat. Once the secondaries ignite, the stovetop temp may drop but the firebox heat takes over big time.

If you load the stove with oak it will crank some serious heat.

Back to the glass: mine is one of the early models that apparently had an issue with the glass permantently etching. No matter how much I try to clean it, the top 1/3 glass is rough like sandpaper due to the intense heat.

Tony, have you had to replace your cat yet, or are you still using the original?

 

[fire_man]

I'm on my third cat with this stove. The first SS cat did this weird thing where it kind of rotted out on one side to the point that all the honeycombs disintegrated for about 3/4" or so past one side of the frame. Woodstock replaced it. The second one was just not lighting off much even after cleaning it in a vinegar bath, but it lasted 3 full seasons of 24x7 burning. I've been running the third cat since the beginning of this season and so far it's been the best one yet. It consistently lights off and still acts "hyperactive" as good as the first day. The smoke plume goes white almost as soon as I engage it and the temp climbs quickly. I think they finally got the recipe right.

 

[BuckyBeaver524]

I'm on my third cat with this stove. The first SS cat did this weird thing where it kind of rotted out on one side to the point that all the honeycombs disintegrated for about 3/4" or so past one side of the frame. Woodstock replaced it. The second one was just not lighting off much even after cleaning it in a vinegar bath, but it lasted 3 full seasons of 24x7 burning. I've been running the third cat since the beginning of this season and so far it's been the best one yet. It consitantly lights off and still acts "hyperactive" as good as the first day. The smoke plume goes white almost as soon as I engage it and the temp climbs quickly. I think they finally got the recipe right.

That's good to hear. I just bought a new cat after 3+ years on the old one. I will install it next time I clean the stove.

 

[weatherguy]

I just installed one of the new cats. It's great, not sure if it's made differently other than the tabs but it works awesome.

 

[Berner]

Post a picture, so other PH users can compare.

That's a good idea. I think it will be hard to capture but once it gets dirty again I will snap a photo. Just cleaned it Monday.

 

[rdust]

That's a good idea. I think it will be hard to capture but once it gets dirty again I will snap a photo. Just cleaned it Monday.

If it can't be captured it ain't dirty enough to worry about.

 

[Berner]

My Progress hits about 500F stovetop and stays there for a couple hours. The real heat is less about the stovetop temp and more about the firebox. I say that because in pure cat mode the stovetop can be at 500F with a very cool firebox since it's the cat making all the heat. Once the secondaries ignite, the stovetop temp may drop but the firebox heat takes over big time.

If you load the stove with oak it will crank some serious heat.

Back to the glass: mine is one of the early models that apparently had an issue with the glass permantently etching. No matter how much I try to clean it, the top 1/3 glass is rough like sandpaper due to the intense heat.

This etching happened to my glass too. It occurred in year one of burning with two year wood that wasn't dry enough. I would load it full, the glass would turn dark, then I got lazy with not cleaning it every two weeks. Right between the andirons is where it occurred.

 

[fire_man]

I heard WS updated the glass on later models that did not etch due to the heat. Something to do with the IR coating, I think.

Another plus for the new model cats is that it lights off even when I only load the stove with a little bit (<1/4 full) of wood. With all of the older cats I had to have much more wood for the cat to work properly.

 

[husky345 vermont resolute]

I would think steel wool would etch the glass


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[fire_man]

Woodstock recommends a very fine grade of steel wool to clean the glass. I find paper towels and a mlld vinegar solution works just as well. But the etched glass is definitely heat related.